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Income Collection

The council collects income from individuals and businesses for a range of reasons. The main types of income are:

Council Tax

Business Rates (National Non-Domestic Rates)

Council Housing Rents

Commercial Rents

Charges for Social Care Services

Parking Fines

We also collect a wide range of fees and charges for everything from Land Registry Searches to Planning Applications and Licences.

The council has a duty to its citizens to collect all income to the best of its ability. If it did not, this could result in higher increases in Council Tax or result in public services having to be cut or reduced.

When collecting income, the council tries to be fair and appreciates that some people may have difficulty in paying from time to time due to financial hardship or a variety of other reasons. In particular, people who have a number of different debts outstanding with the council may wish to have all of these taken into account when discussing with us how to pay off their debts.

The attached document is a formal council policy which sets out the council's approach to collecting income and how it will handle the recovery of overdue amounts (debts outstanding). The aim of the policy is to distinguish between those who are having difficulty paying from those who won't pay their bills. We aim to help people in difficulty, while we will use all of our enforcement powers to deal with those who won't pay.

If you need help understanding this policy and how it might apply to you, please contact any of the services to whom you owe money. Contact information is available on your bill and can also be found on the council's web pages including Council Tax & Business Rates, Charges for Social Care Services, Council Housing Rent, and Parking Tickets.